Tuesday, 22 January 2013

Bury Lynas with your coins on 24/01/13(Thursday)

Bury Lynas with your CHANGE! 24/01/13(Thursday) Kuantan

Spare your coins for a safer and better future for Malaysia

On the 19th December 2012, the appeal court of Malaysia dismissed Kuantan residents’ appeal to try to seek a temporary court order to suspend the Lynas Temporary Operating Licence (TOL). The appeal judges ordered the three Kuantan residents Mr Tan Bun Teet, Pn Hashimah and En Syed Talib to pay RM 10,000.00 each in costs to Lynas and the Attorney General’s office. They have courageously taken up the legal action in the interest of the public. Yet the judges have completely disregarded the duty of care of the government and the social responsibility of the Lynas Corporation by imposing a hefty financial burden on caring and hardworking citizens who have been paying taxes to the country. The Government and Mitsubishi Corporation have failed to properly clean up the toxic mess left behind from the now shut down Asian Rare Earth plant in Bukit Merah. The Government remained in denial of its impact on local communities – with unusually high childhood leukemia deaths, miscarriages and birth defects. No health impact study was ever done and victims were left to fend for themselves. How then can we trust the AELB and the Government to safely and competently manage a plant ten times bigger with much, much more waste and pollution? We are disappointed that credible warnings issued by independent experts in their court affidavits have not managed to move the judges. Do we really need to wait until our health suffers, livelihoods lost, environment damaged and our economy ruined before the court delivers the much needed decision? The judges did not consider the precautionary principle which many advanced nations have adopted. Can Malaysia ever hope to become a developed nation if we continue to behave like a third world country? Lynas has no way of shipping its radioactive waste out of Malaysia and yet the government has allowed Lynas to start the dumping. No detailed environmental impact assessment has yet been done and yet the government has licensed Lynas to start polluting our air, our water and our land – all tax free. Why should tax payers shoulder this burden?? This Government has failed the people and the country! Lynas has wasted no time and has demanded for the RM10,000. Let’s spare a few coins to show the government and Lynas that we care and we WANT CHANGE! We will fight until the end for a better Malaysia!